"As for the meaning of the nickname, that's another story. The character of Chapter Eleven is introduced in the first pages of the novel but it's not until page 512 that Cal provides clues as to what this name means. There's a long passage where Cal sketches what will happen to his brother in the years to come, but, unlike just about every other Stephanides family story, Cal elects not to go into it. Still, the hints are there and include the maxing out of credit cards, etc., all of which point to a situation that might involve something known in U.S. tax law as Chapter 11."

I loved Merrick. I was pretty anxious about reading Anne Rice now, I read most of her other books between 12 and 15, so I thought I might look at it differently now that it's been, gasp! almost 10 years. But. I loved it, I want to read the other two I haven't read in the series NOW, but at the same time I want to pace myself. At least they're both over 700 pages long, hooray!

If you ever stumble across a cheap copy of this in a second-hand book store, please will you buy it for me and I'll refund you (plus the international postage costs). It's very expensive in the UK and I need it for research. Thanks!

Yeah, like the environmental hippies section of the bookstore! Hahaha!

No, but pollution really is a problem. Did you know how much deadly toxicity garbage emits into the ground and ocean every time it rains? What's to stop anyone from scarping that stuff up and making nuclear weaponry out of it?! We need to stop making plastic. Stop buying plastic. When you were a baby and you put a plastic in your mouth, your parents said "Don't. That will kill you." When you put a plastic water bottle to your mouth, you are kissing your death warrant. Those labels that said NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THREE was an understatement. Go to stores with a pen, cross off UNDER THREE and write EVERYONE because there is nothing else we can do about this.

Finished Wolf Hall yesterday. I enjoyed it and I'll definitely read the rest of the trilogy but it wasn't as amazing as all the hype would lead you to believe. It's not the type of thing I'd run around recommending to people. I think it's best to let people decide for themselves if it's their thing.

There's quite a few complaints about how it's never clear who's talking and about there being too many characters. There's some truth in this but it's not that bad. There were a few places where I lost track of which character was talking, or if someone was talking or just thinking but it's mostly pretty clear. The writing could have been quite a bit more tidy but it's not the challenging grind some people seem to think it is. There are a number of characters with the same name.

Overall though, it was a good enough read. I think it's fifty-fifty whether any one person would enjoy it or not.

I'm still reading The Honourable Schoolboy, by John LeCarre, but I've bought Paul Auster's latest and it's sitting on the floor, winking at me seductively.

I finished The Honourable Schoolboy this weekend and it really wasn't worth it. Big letdown after Smiley's People. I might start Report from the Interior soon, but I read a few reviews of it and it kind of put me off. Still, seems fairly short (about a quarter of the book is pictures) so I could probably breeze through it in an evening or two and then find something better.

Sev franklin wrote:

Now about half way through A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. Always enjoy his stuff and this one is no exception.

I've never read that one, but I think The Unconsoled is one of my favourite books.

Still reading Farther Away by Jonathan Franzen and I also started on Books of Blood: Volumes 1-3 by Clive Barker.

Have you read a lot of Clive Barker? He's one of my favorite authors. I recently re-read The Hellbound Heart - so good!

Which of his other novels are good? I was thinking about getting Imajica but it's so lengthy. I don't want to start something 1000 pages plus long if I'm not certain I'll enjoy it. And I'm not sure which of his works aren't written for teens.

I'm reading Winterland by Alan Glynn. I bought a few books based on LitReactor's 'Why the F*ck Aren't You Reading...' articles. I'm enjoying it enough but it does seem pretty standard writing- and story-wise. A bit like something my Mum and Dad would read.

Still reading Farther Away by Jonathan Franzen and I also started on Books of Blood: Volumes 1-3 by Clive Barker.

Have you read a lot of Clive Barker? He's one of my favorite authors. I recently re-read The Hellbound Heart - so good!

Which of his other novels are good? I was thinking about getting Imajica but it's so lengthy. I don't want to start something 1000 pages plus long if I'm not certain I'll enjoy it. And I'm not sure which of his works aren't written for teens.

He's written much more for adults than he has for children. Imagica is really long, but you could try The Hellbound Heart (the basis for the movie Hellraiser), Cabal (the basis for the movie Nightbreed), and/or Mister B. Gone, which is pretty short and horrifically funny. He's written a billion short stories, too, so maybe you could go with some of his anthologies. The Books of Blood (the complete collection) are my favorite.

One of his best short stories in my opinion is In the Hills, the Cities...the imagery is just amazing. You should definitely check that one out.

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